Using virtual reality to break opioid dependence sounds too good to be true, but it's working for some people at an Oklahoma physical therapy clinic. "It's changed my life. I'm so improved since I've been coming," said Claire Merryman, a patient at Physical Therapy Central in Yukon, Oklahoma.Instead of taking opioids, which Claire had been using to treat her severe fibromyalgia symptoms, she, like other patients, now puts on a headset to leave their pain behind while she goes somewhere pleasant."I've been on the beach for the whole time I've been taking the course, and that's my favorite place," she said.While she’s beachside, she’s guided through meditation and relaxation techniques to deal with her pain for 10 to 20 minutes at a time. "As I go through the process and he shows me how to relax and I become relaxed in front of the water and the sand, my muscles would stop cramping," Claire said.Those muscles had been cramping for more than 30 years. She said her symptoms of fibromyalgia are now relaxed.Before undergoing virtual reality treatment, Claire said only powerful drugs, such as fentanyl, would erase her pain. She no longer takes opioids."I was thrilled to think that I could retrain my brain," she said.Shawn Houk, with Physical Therapy Central, said it only takes one or two sessions for most people to start noticing a difference. According to the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine, 35% of people who had physical therapy were less likely to be prescribed opioids. Virtual reality physical therapy takes it a step further."It really helps you start your hope process again. You become hopeful," Claire said. Watch the video above to learn more about virtual reality physical therapy.

YUKON, Okla. —

Using virtual reality to break opioid dependence sounds too good to be true, but it's working for some people at an Oklahoma physical therapy clinic.

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"It's changed my life. I'm so improved since I've been coming," said Claire Merryman, a patient at Physical Therapy Central in Yukon, Oklahoma.

Instead of taking opioids, which Claire had been using to treat her severe fibromyalgia symptoms, she, like other patients, now puts on a headset to leave their pain behind while she goes somewhere pleasant.

"I've been on the beach for the whole time I've been taking the course, and that's my favorite place," she said.

While she’s beachside, she’s guided through meditation and relaxation techniques to deal with her pain for 10 to 20 minutes at a time.

"As I go through the process and he shows me how to relax and I become relaxed in front of the water and the sand, my muscles would stop cramping," Claire said.

Those muscles had been cramping for more than 30 years. She said her symptoms of fibromyalgia are now relaxed.

Before undergoing virtual reality treatment, Claire said only powerful drugs, such as fentanyl, would erase her pain. She no longer takes opioids.

"I was thrilled to think that I could retrain my brain," she said.

Shawn Houk, with Physical Therapy Central, said it only takes one or two sessions for most people to start noticing a difference.

According to the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine, 35% of people who had physical therapy were less likely to be prescribed opioids. Virtual reality physical therapy takes it a step further.